02/12/2012

pretty jam jar outdoor lights

This is possibly the quickest and easiest project ever! It took me less than 2 hours to make 20+ Jarlights (including time to work out how to do it and take pics for this project).

To make some pretty Jarlights of your own, you'll need the following supplies:

Jam Jars - I always buy Rose's Jam and can never bear to part with the pretty jars. Needless to say, over the years I've amassed quite a collection :-o They need to be clean and dry. I always just chuck mine in the dishwasher and the labels get shabbified. You can remove the labels if you're fussy, but I like things to look a bit wonky. (lucky for my husband - haha)

A crepe paper streamer roll - or you could cut your own from tissue paper.

An assortment of colourful washi tape and fabric tape.

Assorted wire 18-24 gauge , coloured if you have it.

Tealight Candles

Scissors

Pliers for cutting

1/16" hole punch (or you could use an awl and cutting board)

Needle nose pliers for manipulating wire (optional)

STEP ONE

Firmly wrap crepe paper around the middle of the jar 3 times around, no need to tape it in place, just hold it with one finger as shown and cut.

STEP TWO

Wrap washi tape around the centre of the crepe paper, leaving a little overlap where it meets before cutting.

Repeat this with as many jars you have, using different washi tapes and designs.

STEP THREE

Now we are going to make hangers for them, so they can securely hang from the trees.

Take one end of wire and wrap it around the top of the jar under the screw top section. Add another inch to that and make a loop at the midway point as shown below.

STEP FOUR

Place that circle of wire back around the jar and twist the ends together at the opposite side of the jar. Don't cut it yet.

Measure out approximately 50cm of the wire, loop it over the top of the jar and cut it. Thread the loose end of the wire through the small loop you made earlier and twist the end of the wire securely in place as shown below.

STEP FIVE

Pop the tealight candle out of the aluminium housing. If it doesn't come out easily, gently squidge around the sides to loosen the wax and you should be able to gently prize it out.

Use a small hole punch to punch two holes just under the rim, opposite each other, as shown below.

STEP SIX

Use a fine gauge wire to create a handle, that's a little taller than the height of the jar. Then pop the candle back in.

This will allow you to lift the tealight up to the top of the jar for lighting without burning your fingers.

Once the tealight is burned out, simply flick out the little disc from the bottom of the container and replace with the candle from another tealight. No need to keep making handles. :)

STEP SEVEN

Hang in trees, light the candles at dusk and watch them get prettier and prettier as the moon rises. "awww pretty"

NOTES

Straight sided jars, or jars with a straight sided section in the middle are easiest to use.

If you use vase shaped jars give them an extra push up towards the top of the jar once the washi tape is in place. This will stop the pretty bits slipping down the sides of the jar.

Thin fabric, lace or gauze could be used in place of the crepe paper, however I would use double sided tape to attach fabric to the jar and ensure it doesn't slip down.

Tealights usually burn for about 4 hours.

You could go to town decorating these if you have time. For example you could add extra pretty by tying lace or ribbons around the jar. You could also use jump rings to add a gem or two to the side of the jar handle.

BE CAREFUL

Don't use if it's windy. The wire handle can be twisted around things to make them fairly secure but anything more than a gentle breeze could be dangerous.

Don't use on days of total fire ban.

Don't leave candles lit unsupervised (you never know what mischief they might get up to!)

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hello

hello!Let's share some crafty goodness. From time to time I will post FREE instructions for fun projects that are perfectly sized for a few spare weekend hours. So keep dropping by, as you never know what you might find. If you are looking for instructions for a particular project you will find it listed in the recent posts section below, or you can use the search box. This is a happy place where we can share our mutual love of craft, so please don't be shy and let me know what you think. Your comments, questions and project requests are most welcome. Happy Crafting! Wendle x